Cortney Berling on Why Runners Underfuel Without Knowing It: Carb Timing Around Workouts, What to Eat Before a Cross Country Race, and Why Craving Sugar Isn't a Willpower Problem

<p>Your body doesn't know the difference between Coca-Cola and watermelon. And according to registered sports dietitian Cortney Berling, that might be the most freeing thing a runner can learn.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back for her third appearance on The Running Effect, Cortney joins Dominic to dismantle the food rules holding runners back, starting with the sport's most controversial question: does weight loss actually make you faster? Her answer is a masterclass in why general nutrition advice fails athletes, especially female ones. </p><p><br /></p><p>The guidelines on your food label were built around a 154-pound reference man from 1941, not a marathoner in a training block, and definitely not a 14-year-old girl navigating puberty.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cortney shares her own story of underfueling, doing everything society called "healthy" until she lost her period and, for a time, her ability to have kids, and explains why the runners plateauing hardest are usually the ones eating the least. Her rule is simple: only run the miles you're willing to fuel for.</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, the two get refreshingly practical. Why full-sugar Coke beats Diet Coke after a long run. Race-day fueling blueprints for cross country and multi-race track meets. The hydration equation every runner should know. Why eating before bed isn't the sin you've been told it is, and how liquid calories save high-mileage athletes drowning in grocery bills.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the biggest takeaway might be Cortney's fifth and final point: your relationship with food matters just as much as the food itself. You don't earn your food by running, you earn your run by eating enough.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tap into the Cortney Berling Special. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.</p><p><br /></p><p>S H O W  N O T E S   </p><p><br /></p><p>-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): <a href="https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs</a></p><p><br /></p><p>-Our Website: <a href="https://therunningeffect.run/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://therunningeffect.run</a></p><p><br /></p><p>-THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ</a></p><p><br /></p><p>-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><br /></p><p>-Take our podcast survey: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Behind the scenes of The Running Effect: <a href="https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/@dominicschlueter?si=PM9FjPc92eFUFEZ</a></p><p><br /></p><p>LuminaryThreads: luminarythreads.shop</p><p><br /></p><p>$20 off your next Attuned scan: <a href="https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://attuned.health/discount/TRE20?ref=TRE20</a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Coaching: </strong><a href="https://eatwellperformbetter.wordpress.com/about/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eat Well Perform Better</a> </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Instagram</strong>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/eatwell.runbetter/?hl=en" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @eatwell.runbetter</a></p><p><br /></p>